In expensive states like New York, you can afford comparatively less than average; in less expensive states like Mississippi, you can buy relatively more.

"Regional price differences are strikingly large; real purchasing power is 36 percent greater in Mississippi than it is in the District of Columbia," the Tax Foundation wrote.

"In other words, by this measure, if you have $50,000 in after-tax income in Mississippi, you would have to have after-tax earnings of $68,000 in the District of Columbia just to afford the same overall standard of living."